It Could Be Worse
by ParanormalCupcakez
Summary: It was all because of Gaz he had to spend the summer with his enemy...that little purple-haired demon...
1. Summer's Beginning

****A/N: I'm so sorry! I had to re-upload this because I accidently deleted it...:c**

A/N: My first story :3 I'm having a bit of a writer's block right now so it kinda sucks. This story will be **ZaDf/ZaD-rish**. **If you do not** **like ZaDf**, **don't read**. I do not own Invader Zim, the amazing Jhonen Vasquez does. I only own the story.

**Dib's P.O.V**

"Are we there yet?" I sighed. We had only been in the car for about 10 minutes, yet this question had been repeated about 500 times already. I turned my head, glaring at the small green being who had uttered the question.

"Does it _look_ like we're there yet?" I motioned to the barren land still surrounding us on either side of the road. He stared at me, clearly un-amused, his eyes narrowing and his lower lip sticking out. I felt him punch me in the arm and I let out a yell. Anger started to grow inside me. Zim was already being as annoying as he could possibly be and the fact that I was going to spend the whole week with him wasn't making me feel any better. I grit my teeth as my hand raised in the air, preparing to bring it down on his emerald colored cheek.

"Now, now, son. Hitting isn't nice." My dad interrupted from the driver's seat. My violet- haired sister snickered in the seat next to him. My jaw hung open in disbelief.

"But he….he..." I clamped my mouth shut, knowing it was no use arguing. "Okay, whatever." Zim smirked and his serpent-like tongue slid out of his mouth in a mocking manner.

"Yes, Dib-human. Listen to your parental unit. Maybe he can teach you some sense." I growled, averting my gaze from his smug face to the window. This trip was going exactly how I thought it would be. That was a bad thing. It was all because of Gaz that I had to spend this trip to the beach resort with my mortal enemy. Every summer we visited this beach for a family vacation. It was the time my dad could actually get time off of work and spend time with us. It was a time I always treasured.

Gaz could care less. She enjoyed spending time with dad, but she loathed spending time with me. Her, being the devious monster she is, told my father it would make me even happier if my "foreign green friend" came with us on our vacation. When the little purple haired demon told me the news, I choked air, almost passing out. I wanted to strangle Gaz so badly that day. My summer was now ruined because of her evil ways.

I suddenly felt something cautiously and lightly jabbing my cheek, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Dib….Dib….oh, Diiiibbbbb….." Zim's voice cooed from my left side. I ignored the little pest as I continued to stare out of the window. "Dib-stinkkkkk…..Answer Zimmmm…." His poking quickened and his voice rose in an aggravated tone. Finally, I couldn't take his irritating prodding anymore and I submitted.

"_What_ do you _want_?!" My voiced was laced with anger and frustration and my eyebrows furrowed. He was taken aback by my harshness, but he quickly recovered by putting on his usual scowl.

"Zim just wanted to say that he refuses to share a room with you at this…_re-sorrrr-t_ place," he rolled the foreign word off his tongue, trying to get used to the strange word. "I've had enough of your presence on this ride. I do not wish to tolerate it any longer." His thin arms crossed over his chest and his face remained plastered in a cold scowl. I rolled my eyes at his usual ways.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, Spaceboy, but we only reserved one hotel room with 3 separate quarters. One for dad, one for Gaz, and one that we have to _share_." I almost gagged saying the word share, knowing it was directed towards Zim.

"That is correct, Dib's foreign little green friend. You and my son will be sharing a room." Zim's eye started to twitch as the words processed through his brain.

"You mean….Dib….me….in the same room….A WHOLE WEEK?!" Zim's voice rose to high pitched squeal of panic. His false periwinkle eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. Yup. That's exactly how I reacted when I was first told. Gaz looked up from her game only for a moment to give Zim a death glare.

"What? Are you deaf or something? Yes, you and my stupid brother will be sharing a room. Now shut your mouth before I rip off your head and feed it to dogs." I heard the familiar beeps of the console in her hand and knew she was done speaking. Zim threw her a dirty look, then directed his gaze towards me again.

"This is all YOUR fault, stinky human."

"Hey, I'm not the one who agreed to come. You could've just said no. It would've spared us both from the torture."

"If you would've used your stupid human ears and actually listened to me, I already told you that Gir forced me to come here. He and my computer locked the house down and blackmailed me into coming here….on this trip….with you." He growled. His voice was _saturated_ in hatred. He crossed his arms and huffed, the scowl never leaving his face. I groaned and rolled my eyes again. This week was going to suck.

The car grew silent, the only sounds emitting being the beeps from Gaz's GameSlave. The land on the sides of the road was hills of sand now. Vegetation was sprinkled here and there, seagulls and other birds creeping among the tall plants. In the distance, the top of a building started to appear. The full structure soon came into view. It was a huge, bleach-colored hotel with a wide, black parking lot at its anterior. A vast beach was the backyard of the hotel, the sapphire ocean rolling onto the shores. It was the Makai Resort.

Zim gazed in awe at the long stretch of water. I guessed he had never seen the ocean before. I smiled slightly. We were going to spend a whole week together, so, why not try to show a little kindness? After all, he had a _lottttt_ to learn.


	2. Relax

**A/N**: Really short and lame, sorry :c. I can't seem to get any inspiration...I'm pretty upset right now because of certain things. I'm trying not to let it affect my writing, but it seems it is. :c

**Dib's P.O.V**

The hotel lobby was swimming with people. Hotel employees worked hastily, trying to get all of the people to their rooms. Luckily, my father had gotten here just in time and got first place in the long line. Gaz and he were at the front desk, checking us in and getting our room key. The alien and I waited near the back of the crowded lobby. Zim stood at my side with the purple backpack he had brought slung over one of his shoulders. He rested his left hand on his hip, balancing the weight of the bag. I tried to stifle a laugh, but I failed and a giggle slipped out. A non-existent eyebrow rose in confusion on his face.

"What's so funny, Dib-thing?"

"You look so girly standing like that..." I let out another chuckle. He frowned at me.

"Zim is not _girl-yyyy_! Zim is strong and man-ly!" He puffed out his chest and flexed his "muscles" to prove it. I snorted and rolled my eyes. Zim suddenly leaned in close, our faces only inches apart. Warmth started to spread across my cheeks. "Besides, you're the one who looks like a female with that long hair and those pink cheeks." He jabbed my cheek and backed away, smirking.

"My hair isn't long," I blew a few lose raven strands that had fallen into my eyes, "It's just thick! And my face isn't normally this pink…it's just…uh…" My face heated up even more. Why was I blushing so much?! He leaned in again.

"Just what?" I bit my lip.

"Um…uhhh…."

"Hey lovebirds, stop flirting and get your butts over here before I rip off all of your limbs!" Gaz stood by my dad near the exit, her hands on her hips and her feet tapping impatiently. I sighed in relief that she had interrupted that awkward moment. Zim and I rushed over to her as fast as we could, even with all that heavy weight of our bags, fearful that she would pound us to a pulp. Zim found himself standing next to my scary sister. Gaz turned her head and uttered a growl and he screamed, running behind me and clutching onto my shoulders. He shook in fear. I laughed and glanced behind me at his fear-filled face.

"I guess the 'strong, man-ly" Zim isn't so man-ly, afterall." Zim's eyes narrowed and he flashed his zipper-like teeth at me in a snarl. I only laughed again.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Our room was amazing. I gasped as I stepped in and caught full view of the large room. The living space included a flatscreen TV, a blue sofa, and lots of decorative furniture. A small kitchen was tucked away at the corner of the room. The small hallway next to it lead to the separate quarters. At a fast pace, I made my way to the separate rooms and looked through them. Zim followed close behind like he was my shadow. The first room held a fluffy, white bed and aqua walls that were painted with bright flowers. A sky blue dresser was in the corner of the room and a mountain of stuffed animals sat on the bleach-white comforter of the bed. This was clearly a room for a child. I huffed and dragged the weight of my heavy bag to the next room.

It was a room definitely made for dad. A navy blue room with a plain bed with a grey bedspread. A white shelf was set against the side wall. I sighed and visited the last room.

It was perfect. This room was painted a plain, dark blue with two white beds placed against either side wall. A flatscreen was positioned on a white table on the wall nearest to me. A window with a nice view of the beach was positioned on the wall between the two beds.

"ZIM DECLARES THIS ROOM IS….Perfect! We shall inhabit this living space!" The Irken behind me screamed as loudly as he could. My heart leaped in my chest at how sudden his outburst was. I gave him a dirty look.

"Okay then, your majesty. Whatever you say." From the hallway, I heard Gaz dragging her things into the childish room I had found earlier.

"My, they certainly did a great job in designing this resort," I heard dad say from the living area. I yawned and carelessly let my bag fall to the ground, walking over to the bed. I plopped down on the soft, plush surface and closed my eyes. Even with them closed, I could feel Zim's stare. The soft sound of his bag hitting the floor filled my hearing. I felt something light place itself next to me on the mattress and I opened my eyes to see it was Zim. He cocked his head at me.

"What are you doing, Dib-human?" I placed my hands behind my head.

"Relaxing." I replied, shifting to get comfortable.

"Oh." He glanced at me dumbfounded for a little bit. After about a minute, he finally laid down beside me. I felt myself blush at how close he was to me. His eyes slowly closed and he remained quiet as his breathing slowed a bit. I felt the corners of my mouth lift in a small grin. Maybe he wasn't a pest after all.


	3. Disagreements

A/N: Man this took a while to write. Anyways, my theory on Zim's anatomy is in here. It's probably not correct, but this is how I think his anatomy is like. By the way, for any of you that have a deviantART account, I have one. My name is InvaderZee123. c: ANNNDDDDD one more thing: this story will always be in Dib's P.O.V **unless** it says otherwise at the beginning of the story.

"DIB! Get up!" I jumped up in surprise, gasping. A yell sounded from beside me. Gaz stood in front of me with her usual scowl plastered on her face and her arms crossed. To my side, Zim sat grasping the front of his shirt and his eyes wide. He had clearly been startled. I had unintentionally fallen asleep, along with Zim. Groggily, I yawned and rubbed my eyes.

"Alright, I'm up, I'm up." Gaz's face relaxed slightly. _Slightly_. Zim, though, had gotten furious.

"You DAREEEEE wake the AMAZING Zim from his slumber? You will suffer, vile human pig!" He jumped up from the bed to point one of his gloved claws at her. Growling, Gaz shoved him to the ground and returned her attention to me.

"I want to go to the beach so get your lazy carcass off of that bed and get dressed!" She stormed off to her room without any other word. I exhaled deeply and slowly arose to my feet. Zim mumbled something under his breath while dusting himself off. He retrieved himself from the carpeted floor.

"You heard her. Get your swimsuit on before she murders us both." He stared at me blankly. I sighed. "You did bring a swimsuit, right?"

"What is this 'swimsuit' you speak of?" My palm collided with my forehead. How stupid was this alien invader? I approached my bag and unzipped it, digging through it to find mine. I held up a pair of blue trunks.

"This is a swimsuit." It finally seemed to hit him as he let out a realizing "Oh!" before violently ripping open his bag. He searched through his bag furiously, letting out grunts every now and then.

"AHA! I believe this is what you _hyuuuumans_ call a swimsuit." He proudly held up a pair of striped magenta trunks high in the air.

"Yup. That's it. Go ahead and change in here and I'll go change in the bathroom," I muttered while I headed for the door, "Oh, and you might wanna lock the door. Gaz has a habit of barging in." He gave me a confused look then shrugged. Closing the door behind me, I stepped into the hallway. I found the bathroom (which was located to the right of the room Zim and I shared) and entered it. I made sure to lock the door before a certain purple-haired girl could get the chance to burst in. I stripped off my clothes and slipped on the sapphire trunks quite quickly. Gathering the clothes from off the floor, I returned to our room. I almost entered the room when I remembered Zim was changing on the inside. I gently knocked on the white door.

"Eh?! WHO DARE REQUEST ENTRY TO ZIM'S FORTRESS?!" I heard him shout from behind the wooden barrier between us. I rolled my eyes.

"Zim, it's just me. And the last time I checked, this room didn't belong to you and wasn't a fortress…" He growled from inside the room. The doorknob jiggled and the door flew open, revealing a very irritated alien wearing swim trunks. I stared down at the shorter male who I had never seen wear anything but his usual invader uniform. His emerald chest was smooth and flawless, just like his face. I noticed something quite strange about him, though. He had no navel or nipples.

"What are you staring at, Earth-boy?" Zim's tone was heavy with aggravation. I snapped out of my daze and my face became warm again as I realized how long I had been staring at him.

"U-uh…nothing." I brushed past him and entered the room again, placing my clothes in a grocery bag I had brought for dirty clothes. Zim still remained by the door, staring at me. I could feel my face burn even more. "What?" His false purplish-blue eyes bore into my golden ones.

"You're acting strange. Even stranger than usual…." His confused gaze soon turned into a suspicious glare.

"I'm f-fine…." I stammered, pushing my glasses up with my index finger. The truth was I had no idea why I was acting this way around Zim. I never once got flustered or nervous around him, and I certainly never blushed.

"_LIESSSSS_!" He suddenly leaped in front of me and shoved his claw into my face. My eyes widened, but then narrowed. I pressed down on his shoulders so he would back away.

"_Get _out of my _face_." I spat. Zim growled at me and forced his face into my space again.

"Nobody tells Zim what to do." He hissed. I gulped, frantically looking around. Fortunately, my sister stomped into the room.

"Are you two at it again? We're leaving so c'mon already!" She yelled in harsh tone while balling her hands into fists. She was already dressed in her 1 piece black swimsuit and her black flip-flops. Gaz was modest and rarely showed off her body, which, I was glad about. Being 13 years old, she had a very curvy figure which lots of the guys were attracted to. Even though she constantly abused me, I was protective of her. No guy would lay a finger on her with me around.

Zim huffed at her and then returned his attention to me, snarling.

"Stop acting so weird, human…..it's so….unnatural," He twiddled his fingers in the air spastically in a strange hand motion. "Even for you."

"Whatever…Come on, Spaceboy." I grabbed his wrist and tugged him out the door. He gasped in surprise and wobbled a bit, almost losing balance. The alien slapped my hand away and crossed his arms.

"I'm not a smeet, Dib-stink. I can walk by myself." I rubbed my stinging hand, which now had a bright red mark on it, thanks to Zim. My eyes narrowed.

"I hate you." I muttered. Dad stood in the living area. He was still dressed in his lab coat, which was normal. He never wore anything but that.

"It's about time. What took you all so long?"

"They were flirting again." Gaz piped in. I saw Zim's cheeks darken a shade and his eyes narrow. His teeth became visible in a snarl. I sighed. Oh how great this vacation was going.


	4. Beach Time

**A/N**: Ug. Cliffhangers are so hard to do :I Well here's another chapter. Sorry if there are any mistakes ^^; BTW: This chapter has a really cruddy cliffhanger. Sorry! I tried. :I

I squinted against the harsh, bright light. The sun was high in the sky and no cloud was in sight. It was a perfect day for going to the beach. The white sand was blazing hot against my bare feet, but I didn't care. I hadn't been to this beach in such a long time and I wouldn't let anything ruin my joy. I had never stayed at the Makai Resort before, but this was the very beach my family visited ever since I was 4 years old. It became almost like a tradition.

Zim grunted and panted behind me. I glanced at him and immediately burst out laughing. There he was, the mighty, powerful alien invader, struggling to carry a medium-sized bag of beach supplies. His back was hunched as the weight of the bag brought him down. He flashed me a death glare as soon as he heard my laughs.

"WHAT…are….you LAUGHING…at?!" He managed to say between pants and groans. His thin arms tried to loosen the strap of the bag which was now roughly digging into his green flesh. Man, he was really having some trouble there. I felt a bit of pity for him and took the bag from him. He stared at me for a bit.

"Thank you, human…..the strong and powerful Zim could've done it himself, though….." He spoke softly, avoiding my gaze. I chuckled.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say." I glanced at my father who stood to my right. We were at a spot on the beach that was perfect. It wasn't too far from the ocean, but it wasn't too close, either.

"I think this is a good spot."

"I was thinking the same thing, my dear son." My father lightly patted me on the head. It was an odd gesture, almost like something you would do to a puppy, but I shrugged it off. I set the bag that held the sunscreen and towels onto the soft sand. Gaz trudged through the thick sand and laid down the foldable chair she had brought. Zim just stood there, digging one of his two toes (which was another strange thing I had found out about him) into the grains.

"Alright my son, daughter, and Dib's friend, you all need to apply sunscreen. You don't want sunburn, now do you?" My father brought out the blue containers of regular sunscreen. Ew. The rub-on kind.

"We don't have any more of the spray on sunscreen?"

"No. Dad used it all in some experiment involving mutant cows." Gaz mumbled. I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask. Zim cocked his head.

"So, this 'sunscreen' protects you from the heat?" Zim questioned.

"Well sort of. It protects you from most of the sun's rays. It'll prevent you from getting sunburn, which is where the rays of the sun break through the melanin on your skin and burn it."

"Oh….interesting…" He placed a hand on his chin, taking in the information. I took the bottle from dad's hand and squeezed some of the substance into my palm. The sunscreen was cold on my skin as I slathered it on the visible parts of my body. Zim watched me as I did this in interest. The familiar heat spread through my cheeks once again.

"Why are you watching me…? It's creepy…."

"I'm only observing, Dib-boy." He held out his hand, motioning for me to give him the bottle. I placed it in his palm. He almost mimicked me, putting it on the exact way I did. When he got to his back, he had trouble applying it because of the bulky PAK centered on his spine. I sighed and helped him. He let out a surprised squeak as my sunscreen-covered finger stroked his back. Making sure to not miss any spots, I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. My face was still flushed and I could feel it getting warmer with each passing second.

"DID ZIM SAY YOU COULD TOUCH HIM?! I think not!" Zim yelled in my face as soon as I was finished. I noticed his cheeks were a bit darker.

"Hey, I was only trying to help!" I shot back. My dad turned to face me at the sound of us bickering.

"Now, now. There's no need to fight. You and your friend need to get along. You're constant fighting is not acceptable." I sighed and only nodded in response. The ocean waves rolling in on the white shore caught my view. I glanced at Zim and smirked. He stared at me, looking quite freaked out.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ignoring him, I quickly heaved him up in my arms. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ZIM DOWN! _NOW_!" He yelled while pounding on my chest with his fists. I only smirked more, running towards the sapphire colored water. Zim's eyes widened as he realized. Claws dug into my bare skin roughly.

"NONONONONO! DIB, STOP!"

"Let's hope you put on lots of paste!" I yelled before tossing the alien into the cold ocean. He screamed then landed with a loud SPLASH.

"AHHHGGGG! I'M DROWNING! I'M DROWNING!" Zim squirmed and writhed in the water, not burning, which obviously meant he had bathed in paste. But still, it was hilarious to watch him think he was drowning in less than a foot of water. At this point, I was laughing so hard my stomach ached.

"Zim….you're in the shallow end….your body isn't even under the water." I continued to laugh and wiped a tear from my eye. Zim looked around in realization then glared daggers at me.

"You sly, revolting little worm," he began harshly while arising to his feet again. Water droplets clung to his skin and his wig was now dripping. His eyes became threatening slits and his dagger-like teeth were in full view as he growled at me. "I'LL KILL YOUUUU!" Before I could even react, I was knocked off my feet and lying on the firm, wet sand. An infuriated and wet Zim was on top of me, pinning me down. His talon-like fingers dug into the flesh on my shoulders and he snarled once again. Well, this was going to be fun.


	5. Slaps, Slaps, And More Slaps

**A/N:** **WARNING. SUCKY CHAPTER AHEAD.** Yeah I had no idea what to do for this chapter. I have all the later chapters planned out, but I don't know what to do for these chapters. Oh well :I

I felt a stinging pain in my cheek as a familiar three-fingered hand harshly brought itself down on it. Zim's hate-filled glare slightly relaxed down to a pouty scowl.

"Let that serve as a warning, Dib-stink." He hissed in my ear. I lifted my hand to my cheek, rubbing the pain-filled flesh. I felt his weight disappear as he stood again.

"Ow…what is it with you and slapping?!" I yelled. He had slapped me about 3 times this trip. It was starting to get extremely painful. As I stood I felt the gritty sand that covered my body. I bent down and splashed some of the water from the wave that had just rolled in onto me, rinsing off the sand. Zim still stood a good distance away from me, pouting, his arms crossed. His gaze was focused on something that was in the distance. I splashed water in his direction, some of the water droplets landing on him. He snapped his attention to me. "Oh, c'mon, Zim. Stop being such a downer. You might have just embarrassed yourself just now in front of the entire beach…." I trailed off, realizing how bad that sounded, knowing I had caused it. "But it's summer! Lighten up a bit and have some fun!"

He gave me a "shut-up-and-leave-me-alone-or-I'll-rip-your-head- off" look. I sighed and slowly approached him and grabbed his wrist. I tugged on it, telling him to follow me.

"What are you-"

"Quiet. Just come here." I interrupted, pulling him closer to the waves enough so that his feet were in the water. His eyes became full of alarm and I felt him try to pry loose of my grasp on his wrist.

"RELEASE ME, DIB-HUMAN, OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE WRATH OF ZIM!" He still squirmed and pulled as he tried to get away from me. I rested my free hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down! I'm not going to do anything!" Hearing these words, he froze for a second.

"And why should I trust you?!" He spat back. Well, he had a point there. I looked into his eyes with complete sincerity.

"Zim, I promise, I won't do anything to you. Just calm down, please." My voice was soft and almost soothing. It was strange….I had never spoken to Zim like this before. Zim looked very surprised. He remained quiet, but still eyed me suspiciously. I started to bring him deeper into the water. The alien whimpered or yelped every now and then as the water rose, but otherwise, he was silent. The water was at my hips and at Zim's stomach area (because he was so short) now. "See? I told you I wouldn't do anything." I smiled at him. His face softened a bit, but he avoided my gaze. The waves hit against us, water splashing up at the collisions. The waves weren't very strong today, which made it one of those days you could actually swim around without getting completely knocked over by the rolls of water.

I blushed, realizing my hand had relaxed and had unintentionally slid down to grasp at Zim's hand instead of his wrist. Zim glanced down at our connected hands and his eyes grew wide. I released his hand and looked away, my face now feeling like it was on fire. "S-sorry…" I muttered. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Zim smirk.

"Your face is as red as a tomato, Dib-stink." He snickered, slightly laughing at me.

"S-shut up…" I stammered. He burst out in a full-on laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him, bending over slightly to get my hands in the water. With a quick motion of my hand, a giant spray of water was sent in his direction. He gasped as the water landed on him, making his wig and his skin even wetter. He gave me a death glare and growled. Using both of his hands, he returned my splash by propelling a shower of water at me. The jets of water collided straight into my face. My scythe-lock hung loosely in front of my face, dripping with water. I smirked and removed my glasses to wipe the water droplets off of them. "So you wanna play it that way."

A smug look washed over his face. His usual swoop of hair that sat atop his head was now drooping, having been drenched with water. I slid my glasses back on, and then shot more of the salty ocean water at him. That was the move that set off the war. Water was soon being slung in all directions, splashing sounds being heard every second. I laughed and soon after, I heard Zim's laugh. My arms were now moving spastically as I tried to over-splash him. His splashes were just as powerful, though. I grinned and moved over closer to him. He gasped as he was suddenly being held in my arms again. His eyes became slits.

"Don't you even think about it!" My grin became wider. I let go of him, his body landing in the water.

"Oops. My fingers slipped." I said jokingly. He sat in the water, pouting.

"You lied to Zim." He muttered childishly. I laughed, offering a hand to help him up. Zim eyed it for a few seconds. He then grasped it with his own green, three-fingered hand and got to his feet again.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist it. Here, I'll make it up to you. Just follow me." I held out my hand. He glared at me. Suddenly, I felt a sharp slap on my hand. I let out a yelp and rubbed my hand. Well, that made 4 times.

A/N: Just in case you didn't understand the ending of this chapter because of how sucky my writing is, he was talking about the number of times Zim had slapped him.


	6. It's Freezin' Time!

**A/N**: WOW! It's been awhile. My family is visiting so it's probably going to take a little longer than normal for new chapters to be uploaded. Sorry :C This chapter is awful and short. I have another writer's block :C By the way, I don't really know if Zim actually has a freeze ray. I just sorta made it up. OH. I'm so sorry, but I forgot to mention this: Zim and Dib are about 16 years old in this story :I

The sun beat down on me harshly and the ocean rolled in the distance, tempting me. I was so hot I thought I would burst into flames at any second. Zim stood by my side, bobbing up and down impatiently. I groaned. There were so many people in front of us. Was everyone at the concession stand?!

"_Diiiiiibbbbb_! Zim is tired of waiting!" Zim whined, tugging on my arm. I rolled my eyes. He could be so childish at moments.

"So am I, but I'm not whining about it, am I?" Zim frowned and then growled. He tapped his foot quickly in impatience. Ever since I had told him the concession stand held sodas and snacks, Zim had become eager to reach the front of the line and obtain the sweet treats. But so far, the line hadn't moved at all. I was practically crammed in between two super sweaty fat people and the unbearable heat, the annoying alien at my side, and the slow pace of the line was only making it worse. Zim looked like _he_ was about to lose it, though.

"WILL THIS LINE EVER MOVE?!" He yelled. I flinched at the loud, sudden outburst, but then turned to look daggers at him.

"Will you ever calm down?!" I angrily shouted back. He let out a loud snarl.

"I cannot take any more of this!" Suddenly, his PAK opened and out emerged one of the mechanical spider-like limbs. A bright blue glow started to bloom at its tip. I only looked on, astonished, as all of the people standing in front of us were quickly frozen with a zap from the metal appendage. As soon as they were all deeply coated in ice, the leg retracted back into its holding place. Zim smiled widely as if nothing ever happened and walked forward to take his place at the front of the line. My jaw hung open. Did that really just happen?!

I quickly rushed over to Zim's side. The woman who was running the concession stand was cowering in fear behind the counter, her blue eyes wide. She shook violently.

"T-take whatever you want! Take the money! Just don't hurt me!" She covered her face in defense. Zim frowned.

"Zim does not wish to obtain worthless Earth monies! Zim needs his sweets!" He slammed his hands down on the counter (which was now covered with tiny ice shards), causing the woman to flinch. I gave Zim a stare that promised imminent doom.

"He wishes to have a soda and some candy, please." I spoke softly to the poor, probably now traumatized lady. She quickly got up and gathered a handful of what we had asked for and threw it at us. Luckily, Zim caught them before they hit the ground. He let out a happy squeal and held them close. I looked down at the rolls of green paper clutched in my hand. I placed the money on the counter and quickly caught up with Zim, who had started to wander off without me.

Hitting him on the arm, I narrowed my eyes at him. A bag of Skittles fell from his hands. He stared at the fallen candy for a bit, and then turned his attention to me. His eyes were practically burning holes through mine.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?!" He yelled.

"Why did _you_ do _that_?! That whole scene could've blown your cover! It's not exactly normal to just go around freezing people with a strange device on your back. Not to mention, you probably scarred that woman and those people for life!" My voice was loud and full of anger. He only let out a tiny laugh.

"You're overreacting, human," He started, doing a waving motion with his hand, "The liquid used in my freeze ray is mixed with another special mixture that will make your pathetic human brains forget what even happened. And with this _horrible _Earth heat, the ice will melt any time now." I calmed down a bit after hearing the new information.

"You still shouldn't have done that, though. That was- MMPH!" I was interrupted as Zim jammed a Poop Soda bottle in my mouth.

"Shut your noise tube and enjoy these snacks." I rolled my eyes and took a gulp of the sweet drink. Zim bent over and tried to pick up the bag of Skittles he had dropped, all of the snacks falling from his hands in the process. I sighed.

"Way to go, Zim." I kneeled down and helped him by retrieving 3 bags of candy and a bottle of soda from off of the sand. He stuck his long, striped tongue out at me, and then gathered the sweets once again. He continued to walk by my side. I counted all of the food. In total, we had 4 bags of various types of candy and 3 sodas. Good. There was some for Gaz. Zim violently ripped opened the package of Skittles and shoved some of the tiny multi-colored candies into his mouth. He then let out satisfied "mmm", smiling. I grinned and falsely cleared my throat to get his attention.

He cocked his head and gave me a confused look.

"Whaf da ya wanf?" The alien asked with a mouth full of the colorful candies. I gave him an "are-you-serious" look.

"You should be thanking me, Spaceboy." He stared for a second, then swallowed.

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm the one who got you that candy."

"LIES! Zim was the one that got the Earth candies by freezing everyone!" He corrected, almost proudly.

"Yeah, that's true, but I'm the one who offered to get them in the first place." Zim opened his mouth to protest, but realizing I was right, clamped his mouth shut and growled.

"Fine. Thank you, stink-beast." The words had heavy anger hidden in them, but I ignored it and grinned. I sipped on my ice-cold liquid refreshment, smirking as I realized I had gotten Zim to thank me more than once in one whole day.


	7. Arcadddd?

**A/N**: Short chapter is short :c

Zim screamed. I jumped in surprise, choking on my drink. I coughed a bit, trying to get the lodged soda out of my throat.

"What's your problem?" I glanced at him. As soon as I did, I almost immediately started to laugh. Zim was hopping foot to foot on the concrete he had just walked onto.

"HOTHOTHOTHOT!" He yelled, and then leaped back onto the slightly less hot sand. "Ahhhh…." He sighed in relief but then broke out in an angry fit. "THAT HORRIBLE GROUND WAS AS HOT AS BOODIE NEN'S SUN!" Zim's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and he gripped his handful of snacks harder. I chuckled.

"Really now? I wouldn't have guessed with the hot sun and all…." I said sarcastically. Zim growled and looked at the 2 story building before us. He stared at the sign hanging on the front of the building and tried to pronounce it.

"AR-cad? What's an _arcaddd_?" I rolled my eyes.

"It's an _arcade_, Zim. An arcade is a place with a whole bunch of games you can play. They have Dance Dance Revolution, Pac-Man, and other cool games like that. Zim made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat and took in the information.

"INTERESTING! This is a new way to have normal, Earth 'fun'. WE SHALL GO AND HAVE FUN IN THE ARCAD!" He shouted. I groaned, hearing him say "arcad" instead of "arcade" again, but actually considered his idea. I stuck my hand in the pocket of my swim trunks and brought out the money we had left over. Five bucks. That would get us 50 tokens. I smiled at Zim.

"Okay. Let's go."

"YESSSS! LET'S GO, DIB- STINK!" He fist-pumped, dropping all the snacks he had left in the progress, and grabbed my wrist. I cried out in surprise as I was yanked through the entrance of the arcade. Zim suddenly froze, taking in his new surroundings. It was a two-story arcade filled with all kinds of cool games, new and old. It was dim in the whole building and neon lights from the video games were lit all around us. Zim gaped in awe.

"Wow, this place sure is…glow-y…." He muttered. I laughed and went to the counter. A woman wearing lots of pins on her arcade uniform greeted me. She had an insanely happy smile on her face and her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was extremely frizzy and falling out.

"Hi, Y'ALL! Welcome to Happy Happy Fun Timez Arcade!" She practically screamed at us. Her green eyes gleamed with craziness. Zim was suddenly at my side with a look of fear on his face.

"U-uh…yeah, hi…I just want some tokens." I placed the 5 dollar bill on the counter. Her smile got wider, which I thought was impossible.

"OKIE DOKIE!" I'll be right back, YA'LL." She disappeared for a few seconds, and then seemed to magically appear back in front of us. Zim's claws started to dig into my arm. "HERE YA ARE!" She extended her hand and handed me two small plastic containers that were filled with 25 tokens each.

"Oh, thanks for splitting them up for us." I gave a little smile.

"Aw, no problem, little FELLA." She screeched, ruffling my hair crazily. I heard Zim give a little whine in his throat, still giving a fear-filled stare. I laughed nervously and started to back away with Zim following, still clinging onto me. Then, I broke out into a full run. I stopped, alongside Zim, when we had reached the other side of the arcade where the stairs that lead to the second layer were. I panted and gave Zim a smirk.

"So the mighty Irken invader was scared of her, too?" He growled at me.

"Shut your noise tube, Dib-human." He responded, crossing his arms. I laughed, then, noticing how cold it was in the building, shivered. I guess coming to an arcade wearing only damp swim trunks was a bad idea. Shrugging off the fact the atmosphere was freezing, I headed over to a game which happened to Pac-Man. Zim followed. "What's this game?" He asked curiously, peering over my shoulder. I grinned.

"It's Pac-Man. Here, I'll show you how to play." I inserted two tokens into the slot. Suddenly, the words "Press Start" were glowing brightly on the screen. I pressed the corresponding button and took hold of the joystick. Zim watched from behind me, taking in every move I did. "The objective is to collect those little dots and avoid the ghosts." He seemed to understand it. As soon as I lost my last life, I let him try. Zim eyed the controls a bit strangely at first, then gripped the joystick and placed his finger on the button. The screen was only showing the phrase "Insert Tokens". Zim groaned and took two gold tokens out of the tiny plastic container (which he had carelessly set on the floor) and slid them into the slot. The normal "Press Start" phrase lit up the screen. The alien pressed the start button and took hold of the controls again. His eyes narrowed in concentration.

Before he even made it through half of the map, he lost one of his lives. Zim growled and I grinned. Then, Pac-Man was touched by another ghost not too long after he re-spawned and he lost another life. I could see the anger on Zim's face. He held his breath as he made it to the top of the map, almost to the end. Before he could react, 3 of the ghosts caught up to him and touched Pac-Man. He yelled in anger and slammed his fist against the screen.

"THIS FILTHY GAME IS DEFECTIVE." He shouted. I laughed at him, enjoying the moment.

"No, you just suck at it." I shot back. His eyes narrowed to threatening slits as he glared at me.

"And I suppose you're better than Zim at these video games?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips. I snorted.

"Of course. You could challenge me right now. I could beat you at any game, Spaceboy." I smirked at him. He gave me an "oh really?" look.

"Okay then. How aboutttt…." He trailed off as he scanned the arcade. Then, he grinned. "_That_ one!" He pointed to DDR.

I smirked wider, narrowing my eyes. "Oh you're on."


End file.
